Warriors: Origins
by CrazyCross213
Summary: Have you ever wondered where the clans started? This is the tale of the clan that all the others came from. This is StoneClan. The cats from the books will appear a little while into the story, so don't worry!
1. Prologue

_Hey, everyone!!! This is my first Warrior fanfic, so I don't know how well I'll do... Please review and tell me how I did!! This is the story of the cats of StoneClan. They are distantly related to the clan cats and the tribe cats... It'll explain it in the story. But, as always, before the story, you have to know who the cats are!!! These are the cats as they appear in the Prologue, and if a cat dies or something changes, I'll post it before the chapter. Enjoy!!!_

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Cats of StoneClan (prologue)

Leader: **Sharpstar**--a slender gray tom with gray-green eyes and unusually sharp claws

Deputy: **Spiketail**--a small, spiky-furred tom with black and white fur and brown eyes

Medicine Cat: **Dreamwhisker**--a long-furred white she-cat with pale gray eyes

Hunters and Huntresses: **Pinetail**--bristle-furred brown tom

**Snowfall**--pure white she-cat with tufts of silver-blue fur in her ears

**Skyfeather**--cloudy gray tom with long, soft fur and blue eyes (_Apprentice-Spottedpaw_)

**Brownleaf**--white tom with a brown, leaf-shaped mark on his chest

**Darkfur**--black tom

**Pebblefoot**--mottled gray-brown she-cat

(_Apprentice-Blackpaw_)

**Stormcloud**--dark gray tom with dark blue eyes

**Eagleclaw**--yellow-orange tom with a scar across his back from an eagle's talons (_Apprentice-Rockpaw_)

**Dawneyes**--tortoiseshell she-cat with eyes the color of the sunrise

**Hawkwing**--red-brown tom

**Liontail**--dark gold tom with an odd tuft of fur on the end of his tail

**Graydapple**--gray she-cat with lighter gray dapples over her back

**Longpounce**--gray tabby tom (_Apprentice-Mousepaw_)

**Ashface**--white she-cat with a splash of gray over her muzzle and eyes

**Nightshine**--black she-cat with a frosting of silver fur on her back

**Whitefrost**--white she-cat with foggy blue eyes

**Bramblethorn**--dark brown tom with sharp claws and fangs

Apprentices: **Mousepaw**--small brown she-cat

**Blackpaw**--black tom with a white tipped tail and white ears

**Spottedpaw**--pretty white she-cat with small splotches of black on her back and chest

**Rockpaw**--light gray tom with amber eyes

Queen Mothers: **Mapleflower**--mahogany colored she-cat with gold eyes (_Kits-Dustkit, Amberkit, and Tinderkit_)

**Rabbitleap**--black she-cat with white feet (_Kits-Heatherkit, Badgerkit, Fogkit, and Foxkit_)

Cats of StoneClan (prologue) Continued...

**Sleetshower**--gray and white she-cat with dark green eyes

(_Kits-Frostkit, Wolfkit, Leafkit, and Rosekit_)

Elders: **Mistheart**--pale gray she-cat with still-sharp blue eyes, the oldest cat in StoneClan

**Tornpelt**--a battle-scarred old tom

**Cloudeyes**--white she-cat with opaque blue eyes, blind

**Mudears**--white tom with brown patches on his ears and back

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Prologue

In the mountains on the other side of the lake territory, there is a clan called StoneClan. The cats are three times the size of the cats in the clans by the lake, and are even larger than the tribe cats. They have to be, to fight off the many dangers in their territory--mountain lions much larger than Sharptooth, and wolf packs. From the nursery, they are taught how to deal with the harshness of their life, and surprisingly, most of the kits survive into adulthood. These cats also follow StarClan, despite the fact that their StarClan is a different group of cats than the one the other cats look to. In actuality, StoneClan's StarClan are the original StarClan, and the clan cats by the lake came from StoneClan, long ago. They have no idea how close they are to their origins, how close they are to the original ancestors.

Long ago, long before the clans were formed in the forest, a group of cats grew unhappy with their life on the mountain. They banded together and tried to get the clan to move to a better home, but the majority of the StoneClan cats were proud of their mountain home. They would not leave, but the leader then, a she-cat named ShiningStar, agreed that the harsh mountain life wasn't for every cat. She told the cats that wanted to leave that she would send a group of cats with them as far as the bottom of the mountain. They agreed to this, and they set out. At first, they settled by the lake, but many of the cats were unhappy there. Half of them left, but the others stayed behind. These were the ancestors of the cats who were at the lake before the clans that are there now. For a while, the cats that had kept going settled in the mountains, but though these mountains were not as treacherous as their first home, several of the cats were still unhappy. Half of those cats moved on, while the rest stayed. These are the ancestors of the Tribe of Rushing Water, these cats who stayed. The ones who kept going finally settled in a forest on the other side of the mountains. They did not stay in a group, but split up to hunt for themselves. Eventually, there was a battle over the hunting rights, and many cats died. The spirits of those cats came to the others, who were still fighting, and showed them a better way to live. This is how those clans were formed--ThunderClan, WindClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan, and SkyClan.

Everything started with StoneClan. Just as everything will end with StoneClan.

This tale starts after the clan cats have moved back to the lake. All is not well in StoneClan. The wolves have had enough of being driven away by cats half their size. The mountain lions want more hunting territory. They have decided that enough is enough, and have been attacking StoneClan more often. More cats have died or been horribly injured in the past few seasons than they have since before ShiningStar's time. As always with the clans, this story begins with a prophecy.

The moon shone bright on the mountain, the sky clear and the stars plainly visible against the inky black of the night sky. In a sheltered cleft in the mountains, where a cold mountain stream made a small waterfall into a calm pool, three cats were sitting there, gazing at the sky. One of the cats shuddered, and the others looked to him. One, a silver she-cat with bright blue eyes, followed the first cat's gaze.

"What is it, Hawksong?" she asked, her fur standing on end at the look of horror in Hawksong's eyes. "What have you seen?"

Hawksong closed his golden eyes, "Death. I have seen the destruction of the entire clan." He shook his head, "_When the moon shines red, shadow shall cover all, and gleaming fangs shall be the end of the cats on the mountain._"

The third cat wailed with terror, "What shall we do for them? Is there no hope?!"

The silver she-cat gave Hawksong's ear a comforting lick, "Whatever happens, we will not abandon them," she said calmly.

Hawksong blinked at her, a spark of hope coming into his eyes, "Yes! I believe that is the key..." he looked back to the moon, and when he spoke again, his voice held more power than before, "_When all seems lost, help shall come. Those who have long been lost shall be found. The spark that lights the fire will lead them home._"

The silver she-cat nodded, her bright blue eyes peaceful, "I will tell Sharpstar." With that, she turned and bounded into the scraggly brush that sparsely covered the mountainside.

Some distance away, in a deep cave high on the mountainside, a slender green tom slept in his den, high above the cave floor. He began to twitch in his sleep. He was dreaming, and in his dream, he chased the biggest rabbit he had ever seen. He ran after it, his paws pounding against the cold rock beneath him, and yet the rabbit got no closer and no farther away. With a yowl of fury, he leaped, but he had miscalculated. He landed on the edge of the path beside the rabbit, and he slipped over the edge of the cliff. He yowled as he fell, twisting and turning through the air, beneath him, he saw only sharp rocks.

Suddenly, something changed. He felt a breath of warm wind caress his fur, guiding him gently away from the drop that would surely lea to death. He landed gently in the bushes that lined another steep mountain path. He lay there for a moment, just breathing, until he heard a low, rumbling purr of amusement. He turned his head to see a shining silver she-cat with bright, serene blue eyes. He pulled himself into a sitting position and dipped his head to her.

"Thank you for saving me, Shiningstar," he murmured, licking his fur to smooth it.

Shiningstar flicked her ears at him, "No need, Sharpstar. I don't believe that would have turned out badly, but you never know how dreams will affect the waking world," she pondered this for a moment, her glittering blue eyes never leaving his face, "But that is not why I'm here. There has been a prophecy, and it does not bode well for the clan." She closed her eyes and spoke clearly, her voice ringing and echoing with power, "_When the moon shines red, shadow shall cover all, and gleaming fangs will be the end of the cats on the mountain_."

Sharpstar held his breath, "What does it mean? Gleaming fangs? And I've never seen a red moon before..." His unusually long, sharp claws slid from their sheaths, "Is there nothing we can do to stop this? Can StarClan not help us?" his eyes were desperate, pleading with her.

Shiningstar shook her head sadly, "You know very well that StarClan can only help in some ways. They are not all powerful. They cannot stop the inevitable."

Sharpstar dropped his head, his shoulders drooping, "Then what hope is there for my clan?"

Shiningstar laughed, "Do not yet give up hope. There is a second part to the prophecy."

Sharpstar looked up at her, "What can save us from this future?" he asked, his voice soft.

The star-bright she-cat got to her paws, "_When all seems lost, help shall come. Those who have long been lost shall be found. The spark that lights the fire will lead them home._"

He frowned, "Who has been lost? How will a spark find anyone?" He jumped up, his tail lashing back and forth, "I need more than this! You cannot just leave us to die!" hissing, he turned and stalked off a few steps. When Shiningstar spoke again, he turned to look at her. She had not moved.

"This will not come to pass for many seasons. All I can tell you for sure now is that help will come. You will not be destroyed," she stood, the ripple of her muscles impressive under her glittering fur. She padded quietly over to him, and touched her nose to the top of his head, "Be at peace for now, Sharpstar. Wake up."

Sharpstar jerked awake in his den, his breath coming fast. He smelled an acrid stench in the air, and a cat was wailing outside his den. He got to his feet, shaking scraps of moss from his fur. There was a shriek from outside, and he bounded out of his den and down to the cave floor. A strange haze filled the cave, a cloud of....smoke?

His deputy, a small white cat with a line of spiky black fur from the crest of his head down to his tail named Spiketail, darted past, a water-soaked clump of moss clamped in his jaws. He was running to the nursery. Sharpstar followed him. When they reached the nursery, Sharpstar stopped, his eyes reflecting the fire that burned part of the bush that made up the nursery for the expecting she-cats and their kits. Cats were being evacuated, the queens picking up their kits and herding them away from the fire. One she-cat was wailing, trying to go back into the burning nursery. One of the other queen mothers held her back.

"No, Mapleflower! You can't go back inside! Think of your kits!" she hissed, holding down the struggling queen.

"That's what I'm doing, you flea-bitten scrap of fur!!" Mapleflower shrieked, clawing at her clan mate. "The littlest one is still in there!"

"There's a kit trapped inside?!" Sharpstar meowed in shock. Just then, more cats arrived carrying soaked moss. They threw the moss on the fire, and slowly, it was extinguished. Sharpstar watched as a soft-furred gray tom shoved his way into the nursery, "Where is Dreamwhisker?" Sharpstar asked, "Dreamwhisker?!"

A long-furred white she-cat with pale gray eyes skidded to a stop next to him, a bundle of herbs in her mouth, "Here I am, Sharpstar. Is anyone injured?"

The queen who was restraining Mapleflower looked over at them, "Sleetshower has a burn on her shoulder, and Leafkit's been coughing."

As she was telling Dreamwhisker who all was injured, the gray tom came out of the nursery carrying a tiny kit in his mouth. He came over to Mapleflower and set the kit next to her, "You can let her up now, Rabbitleap," he told the she-cat holding Mapleflower still.

The black she-cat sniffed and sat back, curling her tail around her white paws. She gathered her kits together with one paw, dragging them to her so she could give them a good washing. As they complained loudly, Mapleflower was busy nosing her kit, licking it. It was a little she-cat, a brighter red than her mother, with white on her cheeks and on her throat and underbelly. Her little paws were white, too, and her tail-tip. She mewled pitifully, and she had good reason to--her right eye had a nasty burn over it.

"Dreamwhisker!" Mapleflower called desperately, "She's hurt!"

The medicine cat made her way over to the kit and her mother. She quickly assessed the injury, "This is a bad burn, but I think maybe I can save the eye," she pushed her bundle of herbs towards a beautiful white she-cat with silvery-blue fur arcing gracefully out of her ears, "Snowfall, will you treat Sleetshower's shoulder? There's some honey in there too, for Leafkit's throat."

Snowfall nodded her slender white head and picked up the herbs in her mouth. She tore open the bundle with her teeth and started to chew up some goldenrod to put on the burn. Her paws were gentle as she patted it onto the wound. Assured that the injured cats were in safe paws, Dreamwhisker bent her head to pick up the injured kit. Mapleflower stopped her, picking up her kit gently with her teeth. She nodded for Dreamwhisker to go ahead to the medicine cat's cave. With a shrug, Dreamwhisker padded quickly to her cave to get things ready for the kit. As she passed Spiketail, she paused.

"Do you have any more soaked moss?" she asked, glancing back at Mapleflower with her kit.

A young white she-cat with a distinctive patch of gray over her face came forward with a big clump of soaked moss, "I do," she mewed through her mouthful of moss.

"Thank you, Ashface," Dreamwhisker purred, taking the moss from her, "Good and damp," she mumbled through the moss. She continued on to her cave, not setting the moss down. When Mapleflower got there, she set the kit down in a nest that Dreamwhisker kept for the sick cats.

"Can you help her, Dreamwhisker?" Mapleflower asked, nosing the kit anxiously.

Dreamwhisker didn't answer at first, using the moss to gently wash the kit's eye. She chewed up a little goldenrod to help the wound heal, and added on a little chewed comfrey root to soothe the burn. She fed the kit one tiny poppy seed to help with the pain and help her sleep. When she was done, she turned to Mapleflower, "Now that I've seen the wound better, I can tell you that it will scar, and that there's a good chance she'll be able to see out of the eye if it opens." She looked back down at the tiny kit, which had been born earlier that day, "With her so young, it's hard to tell. It's up to StarClan now."

Mapleflower whimpered softly. This was her first litter, and she hadn't even had a chance to name the kits yet. She looked up as the gray tom that had gone into the nursery to get the kit came into the cave, carrying one of Mapleflower's kits in his mouth. He was followed by Sharpstar, who carried the other kit. They laid them in a nest next to the injured kit. The gray tom pressed his muzzle to Mapleflower's cheek.

"How are you doing, Flower?" he asked softly, "Is she going to be okay?"

Mapleflower pressed herself against his warm, soft fur, "Oh, Skyfeather! Dreamwhisker says she's not sure if she'll be able to keep her eye!" she shook with stress, her eyes squinted shut. She buried her muzzle in her mate's fur.

He licked her ears, "It'll be fine. She can get by with one eye, and we'll love her as much as the other kits." He nudged her towards the nest the two uninjured kits were in, "Right now, your other kits need you too."

Sharpstar broke off from where he'd been mewing urgently with Dreamwhisker, "Have you named the kits yet?" he asked softly.

Skyfeather looked at Mapleflower, "It's your choice, Flower."

She studied each kit in turn, "This one's the color of that dirt by my favorite tree, but I don't want to name him 'Dirt.'" She looked up at the cats waiting for her to make her choices, "What's a nicer word for dirt?"

Sharpstar laughed, "Ground."

Skyfeather mewed, "Soil."

"Dust," Dreamwhisker murmured.

Mapleflower nodded, "I like dust. I'll call the little tan kit Dustkit." She looked at the next kit, an light orange-red she-cat, "This one looks like a sunrise, but Dawneyes already took that name. Hmm... I like the name Amberkit."

Dreamwhisker gazed calmly at Mapleflower, "What about the last kit?" she asked, knowing it would be hard for her to name the injured kit when it still wasn't a sure thing that she would survive.

Mapleflower looked at her last, smallest kit with love in her eyes, "I want to call her Tinderkit," she meowed firmly.

"Tinderkit?" Sharpstar meowed in surprise, "I guess I can see why..."

Mapleflower nuzzled sleeping Tinderkit, "My sweet little Tinderkit, grow big and strong, and please open your eyes. Both of them..."

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_Did you enjoy it? I'll put up the next chapter soon, so don't worry!!!! Remember to **review!!!!**_


	2. Chapter One

Cats of StoneClan (chapter 2-?)

Leader: **Sharpstar**--a slender gray tom with gray-green eyes and unusually sharp claws

(_Apprentice-Badgerpaw_)

Deputy: **Spiketail**--a small, spiky-furred tom with black and white fur and brown eyes

(_Apprentice-Frostpaw_)

Medicine Cat: **Dreamwhisker**--a long-furred white she-cat with pale gray eyes

(_Apprentice-Rosepaw_)

Hunters and Huntresses: **Snowfall**--pure white she-cat with tufts of silver-blue fur in her ears (_Apprentice-Amberpaw_)

**Skyfeather**--cloudy gray tom with long, soft fur and blue eyes

**Brownleaf**--white tom with a brown, leaf-shaped mark on his chest (_Apprentice-Tinderpaw_)

**Darkfur**--black tom (_Apprentice-Foxpaw_)

**Stormcloud**--dark gray tom with dark blue eyes

(_Apprentice-Fogpaw_)

**Eagleclaw**--yellow-orange tom with a scar across his back from an eagle's talons

**Dawneyes**--tortoiseshell she-cat with eyes the color of the sunrise

**Hawkwing**--red-brown tom (_Apprentice-Dustpaw_)

**Liontail**--dark gold tom with an odd tuft of fur on the end of his tail

**Longpounce**--gray tabby tom

**Ashface**--white she-cat with a splash of gray over her muzzle and eyes

**Nightshine**--black she-cat with a frosting of silver fur on her back (_Apprentice-Heatherpaw_)

**Whitefrost**--white she-cat with foggy blue eyes

(_Apprentice-Leafpaw_)

**Bramblethorn**--dark brown tom with sharp claws and fangs (_Apprentice-Wolfpaw_)

**Mapleflower**--mahogany colored she-cat with gold eyes

**Rabbitleap**--black she-cat with white feet

**Sleetshower**--gray and white she-cat with dark green eyes

**Mousewhisker**--small brown she-cat

**Blackpelt**--black tom with a white tipped tail and white ears

**Spottedcloud**--pretty white she-cat with small splotches of black on her back and chest

**Rockfall**--light gray tom with amber eyes

Apprentices: **Frostpaw**--pure white tom with a bluish tint at his paws

**Wolfpaw**--black she-cat with pale blue eyes and silver paws

**Leafpaw**--blue-gray tom with bright green eyes

**Rosepaw**--white she-cat with a splash of bright ginger on her back

**Heatherpaw**--light gray she-cat with one black paw

**Badgerpaw**--black and white tom

**Fogpaw**--white tom with pale gray paws and hazel eyes

**Foxpaw**--orange she-cat with black on her paws and a white tail tip and brown eyes, looks just like a fox

**Dustpaw**--sand colored tom with gold eyes

**Amberpaw**--light orange-red she-cat with gold eyes

**Tinderpaw**-- blood-colored she-cat with white on the bottom half of her muzzle and cheeks, and a white throat, underbelly, paws, and tail tip and bright, sky blue eyes

Queen Mothers: ** Pebblefoot**--mottled gray-brown she-cat (_expecting, Father- Eagleclaw_)

**Graydapple**--gray she-cat with lighter gray dapples over her back (_expecting, Father-Hawkwing_)

Elders: **Mistheart**--pale gray she-cat with still-sharp blue eyes, the oldest cat in StoneClan

**Tornpelt**--a battle-scarred old tom

**Cloudeyes**--white she-cat with opaque blue eyes, blind

**Mudears**--white tom with brown patches on his ears and back

**Pinetail**--bristle-furred brown tom

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Chapter One

There was a flurry of feathers in the bushes a short distance away from the clan's den-caves. A bird exploded from the bushes--a hawk. A cat sprang into the air after it, claws digging into the bird's back. The cat's weight brought the bird to the ground, where the cat gripped the back of its head and twisted, snapping the bird's neck. The cat looked up, ears erect with pride, "Did I do good, Mother?" the she-cat asked, her one good eye wide and gleaming with triumph. Her right eye, the burned one, was a little less than half open, but it didn't take away from the excitement in her expression. Little Tinderkit had come a long way, and was growing as quickly as her siblings, even if she wasn't as big. It had been five moons since she'd been burned, and her burned eye had opened only a few days after her good eye, though it would never open all the way. She had blurry sight out of that eye, she had told Dreamwhisker when she had started to talk. Her parents had been joyful that at least she could see a little bit out of that eye. Cats who couldn't see were as good as dead in these mountains.

Mapleflower purred with amusement at her littlest daughter's expression, "You did wonderful, Tinderkit! That hawk is huge!"

Amberkit and Dustkit mewed their own approval as they munched on the snow hare Amberkit had caught. Dustkit, being the biggest of the litter, had caught an eagle, which they were taking back to the cave to share with the others. Unlike the cats who lived at the lake, StoneClan queen mothers taught their kits how to hunt, and then turned them over to the Hunter or Huntress mentors for battle training. Also unlike the other clans, StoneClan did not have another clan of cats to deal with, so the battle training consisted of how to fight wolves and mountain lions, and how to deal with the occasional grizzly bear. A newborn StoneClan kit was the size of an apprentice in ThunderClan, and a StoneClan apprentice was larger than any of the other clan's warriors (though in StoneClan, they are called Hunters and Huntresses instead of warriors). StoneClan's Hunters and Huntresses were more than half the size of mountain lions, almost as big as wolves. They would hardly fit in a warrior's den in one of the other clan's camps.

Dustkit was showing signs that he would be one of the larger of the StoneClan Hunters when he grew up. Amberkit was not far behind, but Tinderkit was another story. She would be at least two mouse tails shorter than Amberkit, if not more, and she would be slender, compared to the bulk of her siblings. This bothered Mapleflower and Skyfeather, not because she would be an embarrassment to her parents, but because of the final task before an apprentice could become a Hunter or a Huntress. She would have to hunt and kill a mountain lion all by herself, and if she were too small, she could get seriously injured, or killed. Her parents prayed to StarClan every day that she would grow at least a little bit more before that time came.

Tinderkit dragged her hawk over to her mother, "Are we going to eat it now, or take it back to the clan?" she asked, dropping the bird and spitting out a few feathers. Her siblings snickered when one stuck to her nose.

Mapleflower flicked her tail over Tinderkit's muzzle, swiping away the feather, "We'll take it back. You can't eat it all by yourself, and Amberkit and Dustkit are already full." She got to her paws and motioned for them to follow her, "Make sure you bury the bones, Dustkit," she told him. He dug deep into the snow and pushed the prey bones inside before covering it up again.

"Now my paws are cold!" he complained, hopping after Amberkit as they started back to the dens. Tinderkit came along behind, dragging her catch.

Mapleflower purred, "You can stick your paws under Amberkit when we get back to the den." Dustkit gave a yowl of triumph while Amberkit squeaked at the indignity.

"Race you to the dens!" Dustkit yowled, shooting off. Amberkit mewed loudly, "No fair!" before racing after him.

Mapleflower looked at her smallest kit, to see if she wanted to participate in the game Dustkit and Amberkit were playing. She gave a little _mrrow_ of laughter when she saw the firmly determined expression on Tinderkit's face. She stayed by her mother until they entered the caves. When she stopped, Mapleflower pricked her ears, curious at what her daughter was thinking about.

Tinderkit gently set her catch down and looked up at her mother, "Mother, may I take my hawk to the elders? Mistheart promised to tell me a story."

Mapleflower nodded, "Ask them if they've already eaten, and help them pluck off the feathers," she reminded her daughter as she picked up her prey and scampered off.

"I will!" she mumbled through a mouth full of the hawk's wing.

Mistheart looked up from her washing when she noticed Tinderkit bouncing towards her with a large red-brown hawk grasped firmly in her teeth. Mistheart's bright blue eyes, almost exact copies of Tinderkit's, gleamed with pride. This was her grandkit, for Skyfeather was her son, and though Tinderkit did not share the same color of fur as her father and grandmother, she was the one who was most like Mistheart had been when she was young. The old she-cat gave a purr of welcome to the little kit.

"What have you got for us there, Tinderkit?" she asked, her voice soft. The other elders looked over from where they had been resting. One, a cat called Cloudeyes, lifted her head and sniffed, her clouded blue eyes unseeing, but her nose still sharp.

"Is that fresh-kill I smell?" she asked, her voice quavering with age, "I was beginning to think the apprentices had forgotten us." She sniffed again, and her whiskers twitched with amusement, "Welcome, Tinderkit. It's nice to see some young cats still care about their elders."

A scarred old tom named Tornpelt mewed his agreement, "That's a very big hawk, Tinderkit," he meowed, "Did you catch that all by yourself?"

Tinderkit set her catch down in front of the elders, "Yes, Tornpelt," she mewed excitedly, "Mother was teaching us to hunt!" she gave a little bounce of excitement, causing all of the elders to purr. She was well-liked among the elders because she was so full of enthusiasm for learning new things. She came often to listen to the elders' stories, even when most kits would rather be playing, and she was always polite, and eager to help them. She was so kind and gentle, she would've made a great medicine cat, but Dreamwhisker had already taken little Rosepaw on as her apprentice a moon and a half ago. Besides, Tinderkit showed no inclination of following the path of a medicine cat. She seemed eager to become a Huntress, and though she was very empathetic towards her prey, she would do what she had to for her clan.

Mistheart and the other elders tucked into the hawk. It was big, but there were several elders. At least it would tide them over until the apprentices came back with something. After Mistheart had finished eating, she licked her lips and looked at Tinderkit expectantly. The little kit sat quietly, watching the rest of the elders finish eating with a serene look in her blue eyes. She only brought her attention back to Mistheart when the old she-cat cleared her throat.

"Can I get you anything else, Mistheart?" she asked, her ears pricked forward.

Mistheart snorted, "Have you forgotten I promised you a story, little fur ball?" she asked, settling down and tucking her front paws under her chest.

Tinderkit couldn't help giving a little bounce of happiness, "No, I didn't forget!" she squeaked, "What story will it be today?"

"Hmm..." Mistheart tipped her head to the side, her eyes half closed. "How about the tale of Bright-thunder and the Great Shadow Wolf?"

Tinderkit's eyes widened, "Great Shadow Wolf?" she repeated in an awed whisper, "I've never heard of that before."

Mistheart nodded and started the story, "Bright-thunder was my mother's mother, and she was the bravest she-cat who ever lived. She was small, like you, and had similar coloring, though she had black on her ears, throat, paws, and tail tip and her eyes were two different colors. One was blue, like yours, and the other was bright, bloody red. She grew up in these very caves, and nobody expected her to live through her apprentice tasks," here Mistheart paused to relive her memory of the great cat. She had known her only for a few moons before she had left in search of her friends who had disappeared during the rein of that bloodthirsty wolf called Shadow.

Tinderkit squirmed, "Did she survive the tasks?" she asked quietly, not wanting to sound impatient. She knew her parents worried that she wouldn't survive the grueling tasks, but she would do her best, and knew that her best would be good enough.

The apprentice tasks were something that only StoneClan still did, even though the cats who had first settled by the lake had done something similar to prove that the apprentices were good enough to become Hunters or Huntresses. The tasks in StoneClan were simple at first, just little hunting and climbing expeditions for the apprentices to learn from. It was when you got to the last task that apprentices sometimes failed. The last task was the hardest, and the most dangerous. The apprentice had to go out alone to kill either a wolf or a mountain lion and bring back the slain beast to prove it. To fail was fatal, though StoneClan was not cruel. If the apprentice is outnumbered, it is not considered cowardly to run. They are allowed to try again. It's the ones who can't escape, or are too weak to fight that are killed by the wolf, or the mountain lion they were hunting. Most apprentices chose to hunt mountain lions, because even though they were larger than the wolves, they at least traveled alone, whereas the wolves traveled in large packs. It was hard to pick out a single wolf without the whole pack converging on you.

Mistheart blinked warmly at Tinderkit and returned to the story, "She was better at the tasks than any of the other apprentices, and completed them perfectly up until the last one. When it came time for the apprentices to choose which creature they would hunt, she alone chose to hunt a wolf. She had one wolf in particular in mind--a large black wolf named Shadow. He was the leader of a big wolf pack further up the mountain. Shadow had been terrorizing StoneClan for seasons, and we had yet to catch him and kill him. Bright-thunder--Brightpaw then--felt for sure that she could defeat him in battle. The only problem was that he never left the security of his pack for long. Brightpaw would have to plan carefully if she wished to kill him.

"So she set out to complete the final task, going out alone into the snow and howling wind. She watched Shadow's pack for days, until he finally wandered off alone to hunt. She followed him, her paw steps quick and silent. She followed him, not knowing where he was going until it was too late. The foul monster was heading to StoneClan's caves! He waited outside for a long time, until finally, a cat emerged. It was Brightpaw's sister Rosepaw, who later became Rosethorn. She was a beautiful, slender she-cat with fur that was a brighter red than even yours, young Tinderkit! Your mother, Mapleflower, is descended from Rosethorn.

"Ah, yes, back to the story... Rosepaw was heading out to hunt for the elders. She was old enough to be let out alone, without her mentor. She never even saw the great wolf crouched in waiting for her. Shadow struck without warning, tackling her, his fangs going for her throat. With a yowl of shock, Rosepaw was bowled over, and the wolf's teeth found her shoulder. She screeched in pain, struggling in the wolf's grasp, but Shadow would not let go. He intended to have cat meat, and he would have it.

"But Shadow hadn't counted on Brightpaw. She burst from where she had been hiding behind a boulder, claws out and fangs bared. She grasped the wolf's shoulders in her fearsomely long claws and dragged him off of Rosepaw, flinging him into the very boulder she had been hiding behind. She turned, placing herself between her sister and the dreaded wolf, murder in her mismatched eyes. With a howl, the wolf attacked her, jaws snapping. She struck his muzzle with her clawed paw, slashing straight through the flesh to his gums and teeth. The wolf screamed in agony, trying to pull back, but Brightpaw lunged forward, grabbing his head with her paws and sinking her fangs into the side of his throat. He howled again, weaker this time, and was answered by another howl from further up the mountain. More howls echoed the first. The whole pack was descending on StoneClan's dens.

"Brightpaw shoved Shadow away. He fell, and struggled weakly to his feet, baring his teeth at her. His eyes were filled with hatred, but she ignored him, turning instead to where her sister was just getting to her paws. She could not put any weight on her left paw, for the shoulder that Shadow had injured was her left one. Brightpaw mewed urgently to her sister, 'He's called his whole pack. I have to lead them away from here! Go tell Ringstar that they need to be battle-ready in case the wolves come back.' Rosepaw nodded, limping as quickly as she could back into the caves. Brightpaw turned again to Shadow, who sneered and growled, 'Get ready to pay, little cat-cub. My pack will tear you and your precious cat-pack apart and eat you. We will crack open your bones and suck out the marrow, so get ready to die!' With that, he lunged at her, but she was ready for him. All during his rant, she had been slowly circling around so that his tail was to the caves. When he leaped for her, she turned and ran, not in cowardice, but to lead him away from the clan.

"Up and up she climbed, far faster and nimbler than the wolf. Soon, she spotted his pack, and they fell in behind their leader, the entire wolf pack chasing this one apprentice. Brightpaw knew that they would continue to chase her until they were dead, so she came up with a plan. She would lead the wolves to the high cliff near the top of the mountain and lead them off somehow. After that, her clan would be safe, and Brightpaw could be made a Huntress. When the cliff came into sight, she acted as if she had cut her paw, stumbling and yowling in pretended pain. The wolves sped up, thinking they had finally caught their prey. They didn't notice the cliff that was so close to where they were running. They were caught up in the bloodlust, and their thoughts were clouded with the need to kill. When Brightpaw flung herself off the cliff, they all jumped off after her. But, unlike Brightpaw, the wolves had never been to this part of the mountain before. Brightpaw knew that just off to the side and a little below the edge of the cliff was a ledge covered with a clinging bush. She landed safely in the prickly bush, while the unlucky wolves fell to their deaths.

"Meanwhile, a young tom named Sunstorm had followed Brightpaw, hoping to make sure she was all right. When he saw her jump, he felt as if his heart stopped beating, for he loved the brave little she-cat with all his big heart. He watched as the wolves fell, and sent up a prayer to StarClan, 'Receive her well, for she died defending her clan,' he murmured in a broken whisper, his eyes overflowing with tears. He didn't see the brave she-cat scrambling back up onto the cliff. She did spot him, and limped over to him, for she had snagged a claw climbing back up the side of the cliff. He turned when she called his name, and could only stare as the one he had thought dead padded up to him and butted his shoulder with her head.

"'What are you doing here, you crazy fur ball?' she purred, swiping her tongue over his ear. He gaped at her, 'How are you--?! How did you--?!' he stammered, staggering back a step. She tipped her head to the side, 'You really didn't think I killed myself, did you?' she asked, her eyes wide, 'You did! I'm so sorry, Sunstorm! I didn't mean to worry you...' He cut her off by covering her face with licks, 'Don't ever do that again!' he growled between licks. She sputtered, unable to talk with him licking her like that. She finally ducked her head and pushed past him, 'Let's go home,' she told him, 'We have a naming ceremony to go to.'" Mistheart sat back, her story ended, "That is the tale of Bright-thunder and the Great Shadow Wolf. I hope you learned something from it."

Tinderkit stared at her, her eyes wide, "That was the best story _ever!"_ she mewed, jumping to her paws. Her tail was fluffed up with excitement, lashing back and forth. She rubbed her cheek against Mistheart's muzzle, "Thank you for telling me. Now I'm sure I'll do good in my apprentice tasks!"

Mistheart purred, "I never doubted it, Tinderkit. Run along now; it's getting late."

Tinderkit's tail flicked in farewell, "Sleep well, everyone!" she mewed as she darted off. The elders watched her with affection, and she was their topic of conversation after she had gone out of sight. Well, Tinderkit and her great ancestors.

"I barely remember Bright-thunder," Tornpelt meowed. He was just a moon younger than Mistheart, who was the oldest cat in the clan, "I remember Rosethorn better than her sister. They were both brave cats, and after they left, no one in the clan ever saw them again. I wonder if they're still alive?"

Mudears, a white tom with brown patches on his ears and back, murmured thoughtfully, "It is true that if a cat isn't killed by an enemy or by sickness, they tend to live a long time, but Bright-thunder was a fighting cat. She would have been killed by something, surely, and Rosethorn wouldn't stand by and watch her sister be killed. They would have fought to the death to save each other, or any cat. They were so fierce, and yet so kind."

Mistheart purred, "So like Tinderkit. I believe she has a large part in the future of the clan, maybe even larger than Bright-thunder had. She will do great things, and will be remembered for as long as the clan survives."

Cloudeyes snorted, "Unlike us, right? No cat will remember us past our grandkits and maybe their kits, if we're lucky."

All the elders sighed, "Why couldn't we have done anything great?" Mudears muttered, "We were all good Hunters and Huntresses."

Mistheart grinned at him, her sharp yellow teeth glinting in the weak light in the elders' den, "We're not dead yet, you old hare-chaser. I for one ain't giving up till they put me in the ground."

"Here, here!" the elders chorused.

About a moon later, Tinderkit was helping Rosepaw sort the medicine cat's herbs when the clan deputy padded into Dreamwhisker's cave. Tinderkit dipped her head to him, her eyes bright with curiosity. Rosepaw mewed a distracted greeting to him, too busy counting their juniper berries to look up. Spiketail stopped beside Tinderkit and gazed down at her, his eyes warm.

"Hello, Tinderkit," he meowed, "I've come here to tell you that you and your littermates apprentice ceremony will be held when the sun is at its highest point. After you're done here, find your mother and get prepared for the ceremony." He nodded to her and turned to leave, waving his tail in farewell.

Tinderkit sat stunned for a few moments, and then she squeaked and jumped to her paws, "I'm going to be an _apprentice!!!"_ she squealed.

Rosepaw looked up, her eyes glinting with amusement, "Congratulations, Tinderkit. I wonder who your mentor will be?" she went back to sorting herbs with a thoughtful look on her face. There was a sudden breeze through the cave, and some of the oak leaves they had already sorted fluttered around. The brown leaves crackled, and one landed in front of Tinderkit. Rosepaw looked at it, "Aha," she mewed, "Brownleaf it is, then."

Tinderkit's voice squeaked embarrassingly, "Really?!"

Rosepaw twitched her whiskers at her, "Would I lie to you?"

Tinderkit scuffled her paws, "I'm sorry... What do we need to sort next?" she asked as she pushed the oak leaves back into their pile.

Her friend laughed, "Are you kidding? Go see Mapleflower. I can finish the rest by myself."

Tinderkit nodded, "Thanks, Rosepaw!" she yowled over her shoulder as she dashed off.


	3. Chapter Two

_Well, here's chapter two.... after this chapter, the cats change again, so I'll have to put up the Cats of StoneClan again... I hope you enjoy it!!! I'll have Chapter Three up soon!!!_

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Chapter Two

Tinderkit followed her siblings up to the base of the ShiningStone, quivering with eagerness. She was ready to become an apprentice, to learn to fight to protect her clan, just as Bright-thunder had. She wanted to hunt for the elders and help them, to run errands for the older Hunters and Huntresses, to help the medicine cat gather herbs. She wanted everything, the bad and the good, the exciting and the boring. As she took her place beside her brother and sister and looked up at Sharpstar, she felt as if she would have to either yowl her joy or die.

Sharpstar looked each of them in the eyes, "Today is a joyous day," he began, "These three kits have been taught by their mother to hunt, and how to behave like a cat worthy to be called an apprentice of StoneClan. They stand here now, ready to take on the duties that come with that title." He jumped down and stood in front of Dustkit, "From today on, until he completes the tasks given to him by his mentor and the clan, this cat shall be known as Dustpaw." He signaled with his tail to a large red-brown tom named Hawkwing, "In the sight of StarClan, I, Sharpstar of StoneClan, have chosen Hawkwing to be your mentor. He is brave, strong, loyal--everything we want this future Hunter to be. He will guide you on the path to becoming a Hunter."

When he finished speaking, Hawkwing leaned down to touch noses with Dustpaw. They pulled back to the edge of the crowd of cats, murmuring in low voices. Sharpstar moved to stand in front of Amberkit.

"From today on, until she completes the tasks given to her by her mentor and the clan, this cat shall be known as Amberpaw," he signaled again, this time to the lovely Snowfall. Snowfall seemed to float over the ground as she padded over. Sharpstar continued, "In the sight of StarClan, I, Sharpstar of StoneClan, have chosen Snowfall to be your mentor. She is canny, thoughtful, and swift--all traits we want this future Huntress to have. She will guide you on your path to becoming a Huntress." After they had touched noses and moved off, he turned at last to Tinderkit. There was affection in his voice as he spoke, for Tinderkit was loved by everyone, "From today on, until she completes the tasks given to her by her mentor and the clan, this cat shall be known as Tinderpaw." He beckoned to Brownleaf, a white tom with a brown, leaf-shaped mark on his chest. The tall, powerful Hunter strode over, his pale green eyes gentle. He murmured a quiet greeting to Tinderpaw before nodding to Sharpstar.

Sharpstar nodded back, and continued. Tinderpaw wondered what had passed between them as Sharpstar finished the ceremony, "In the sight of StarClan, I, Sharpstar of StoneClan, have chosen Brownleaf to be your mentor. He is large, powerful, and yet one of the kindest Hunters I have ever known. We see similar signs in Tinderpaw, so instead of a Huntress for a mentor, I have chosen Brownleaf, and he has agreed to mentor her. He will guide you on your path to becoming a Huntress the clan will be proud of."

Brownleaf bowed his mighty head to touch noses with Tinderpaw. Her fur was fluffed up with excitement, but she tried to stay calm as he led her to the back of the crowd as Sharpstar called the meeting to a close. His eyes smiled down at her, "Welcome to your apprenticeship, young Tinderpaw," he rumbled, "Are you ready to head out?"

Tinderpaw, too excited to speak, merely nodded. He purred with amusement, a common thing around Tinderpaw, "Would you prefer to go out with your siblings and their mentors, or to go out alone?" he asked, already padding towards the cave mouth.

Tinderpaw frowned, thinking, "They'll probably go together. They're very close."

Brownleaf studied her, his eyes missing nothing, "And you are close to the older apprentices," he said, not asking, but stating what he had noticed. "We will ask if we can join a border patrol."

As they reached the cave mouth, a white she-cat with a gray face named Ashface was gathering a patrol. She called Nightshine, a black she-cat with a frosting of silver fur on her back, and a young gray Hunter named Rockfall. Nightshine brought her apprentice, a gray she-cat with one black paw whose name was Heatherpaw. Ashface turned to Brownleaf as he and Tinderpaw padded up.

"Hello, Brownleaf, Tinderpaw," she purred, blinking kindly at Tinderpaw, "What can we do for you?"

Brownleaf spoke softly, "Would it be all right if we joined you on your patrol?" he asked, nodding to all the other cats.

Ashface flicked her tail happily, "That sounds fine with me. What about the rest of you?" she asked the cats she had gathered.

Heatherpaw purred, "I'd love to have Tinderpaw along." She twitched her whiskers in embarrassment as she looked up at Brownleaf, "Oh! And Brownleaf too!"

He gave a soft _mrrow_ of amusement, "That's all right, Heatherpaw."

Ashface signaled them to follow her, "Daylight is wasting; we need to get a move on." She bounded off into the softly falling snow. The others leaped after her, Brownleaf with Nightshine at his side, Rockfall just behind, and Heatherpaw falling back to run with Tinderpaw. They followed the steep path downhill, heading to their southern border. As they got closer and closer to the foot of the mountain, Tinderpaw stated seeing more and more trees. She gaped at them.

"They're huge!!!" she exclaimed to Heatherpaw.

The gray she-cat laughed, "Yes, I was shocked too when I first saw them too." She stopped next to a tree, since the rest of the patrol had stopped to renew the scent markings, "Have you ever climbed a tree before?" she asked.

Tinderpaw shook her head, staring up into the branches of the tree with wide eyes, "How do you climb it?" She was startled when she heard Brownleaf's voice behind her.

"That is one of the things I will be teaching you," he rumbled, "You will need to learn to climb more than just rocks and cliffs. There are many trees near the base of the mountain, and when you make your trip with Dreamwhisker to gather herbs in the lands below the mountains, you will need to know how to how to survive in the flatlands."

"Flatlands?" she murmured, sounding out the word, "I have never seen land that's flat. Is there a lot of it?" she asked, peering up at him.

He nodded, "We have never explored all of it. The only cats to go farther than the RockHills are Bright-thunder and Rosethorn."

Tinderpaw perked up at the mention of her famous ancestors, "Where did they go?" she asked curiously.

He shrugged, "No one knows. They said they would go exploring, and they haven't been seen since." He turned when Ashface and Rockfall started to follow the border, Nightshine following a moment later, "Come along now, Tinderpaw. Today your training consists of only looking over the territory. We'll get to the fighting part tomorrow."

"Yes, Brownleaf!" she mewed, falling in beside him. She couldn't wait to learn more about her home. She had never imagined that a tree could be that big, and she hoped she could see more before the day was over.

Tinderpaw got back to the caves after Dustpaw and Amberpaw had already returned. She dragged in her catch, two pikas and a crow. All the other members of the patrol had caught things as well, and there had been no sign of mountain lions or wolves. They had returned, all of them tired, and had been greeted warmly by the rest of the clan for the food they carried. Tinderpaw set her catch on the pile in the center of the caves and kept one of the pikas for herself. She padded off to the Half-Rock, where the apprentices ate their fresh-kill. When she spotted Amberpaw and Dustpaw sharing tongues beside the rock, she walked over, her paws dragging with tiredness.

Dustpaw looked up from his washing, "How was your patrol, Tinderpaw?" he asked, his eyes half-open in sleepy comfort.

"It was amazing!" she mewed, her voice quiet and awestruck.

"Yeah, but I can't wait to go to training tomorrow!" Amberpaw said, pausing in her licking. "I'd rather learn to fight than tromp around looking at trees and shrubs." Dustpaw mewed agreement.

Tinderpaw sighed and moved a little bit away to eat her fresh-kill. Heatherpaw came over and joined her, her brother Fogpaw following a minute later. Fogpaw was a white tom with pale gray on his paws and he had bright hazel eyes. He dropped his crow next to Tinderpaw and settled down to eat it. Heatherpaw settled in on Tinderpaw's other side and started washing her back with long strokes of her pink tongue. Tinderpaw started purring loud enough to be heard as far as Sharpstar's den, swiping her tongue around her muzzle to clean the last traces of her meal from her fur. She began to wash Heatherpaw in turn.

"What did you do today, Fogpaw?" Heatherpaw asked him, pausing in her licking.

Fogpaw grinned at her, "We went to the Silent Stones to find moss for the dens. Fun, huh?"

Heatherpaw widened her eyes innocently, "Thank you very much for fetching my bedding, Fogpaw. I'll be sure to pay you in mouse tails later."

Fogpaw growled in mock outrage, "Mouse tails?! I only accept wolf tails!!!" With a playful snarl, he lunged at her, jumping over Tinderpaw's back. Tinderpaw rolled away, so she wouldn't get caught up in their play fighting. Brother and sister scuffled on the ground, wrestling with their paws on each other's shoulders, trying to pin each other down. Tinderpaw cheered for each of them, unable to decide which one to root for. When Fogpaw finally held his sister down, Tinderpaw leaped.

"I'll save you, Heatherpaw!" she yowled, hitting Fogpaw in the side. The air left his lungs in a muffled _oof_, and they rolled together on the ground. Fogpaw was surprised at the strength and speed of her. She was like a whirlwind, batting at his head with sheathed paws here, nipping at his foreleg there. Her hind paws held his hindquarters pinned to the dusty floor. Fogpaw realized that he couldn't win, and his entire body went limp with surrender. Tinderpaw scooted back, every hair on her pelt quivering with energy.

"You win, you win," Fogpaw purred, getting to his paws and shaking to get the dust from his fur. He gazed at Tinderpaw with admiration, "Where did you learn that?" he asked, "Surely you haven't had any fighting training yet?"

She shook her head, "That's tomorrow. I don't know where I learned to do that. When I thought 'fight,' I just... well, _fought_." She shrugged, "I don't really know what I did..."

He grinned at her, "I've seen Skyfeather fight like that, where he just throws himself at his attacker, and lands so many hits at once that his attacker can't fight back. He mainly uses it on cats, but I've seen him attack a wolf like that, once."

They heard a meow from behind them, "Mistheart used to fight like that." The apprentices turned around to see Mapleflower. She blinked warmly at her kit, "When I first became an apprentice, Mistheart was my mentor. It runs in the family, I suppose. You should ask Mistheart about it." She leaned down to lick Tinderpaw between her ears, "How was your first day as an apprentice?"

Tinderpaw purred and pressed her muzzle into her mother's soft, familiar fur, "I saw humongous trees, Mother! And I saw grass that stretched for endless tail-lengths, and flowers! Your name is Mapleflower, Mother, but I never knew what a flower was..." she continued to tell about her day, about the different animals she had seen, and what she had learned.

Mapleflower blinked warmly at her daughter, "That's wonderful, Tinderpaw!" She nudged her with her muzzle, "I have to go out with the day's end patrol, but I just wanted you to know how proud I am of you. You listen to Brownleaf, now," licking her daughter one more time, she padded off to where a white she-cat named Whitefrost and a dark brown tabby tom named Bramblethorn waited with their apprentices.

"Aw, are you sad to see your mother go, kit?" came a snide voice from the entrance of the apprentice's den. Tinderpaw turned to see an orange and black she-cat called Foxpaw, named for her uncanny resemblance to an actual fox. Tinderpaw secretly thought she had also been named for her personality, which was also uncannily like a fox's.

Fogpaw snorted, "Oh, stuff some moss in it, Foxpaw," he growled, annoyed.

Heatherpaw nodded, "You're not funny, Foxpaw. You're just rude and annoying."

Foxpaw spat at them, "I wasn't talking to you, fuzzballs!" She glared at Tinderpaw, "Everyone's making such a big fuss over you, kit, but I don't see why. You'll never be a Huntress. You're so small the badgers will eat you, never mind wolves or mountain lions."

Tinderpaw's ears flopped to the sides and her tail drooped, "Mistheart said--" she started, but Foxpaw cut her off with a snort of contempt.

"Mistheart? More like Mist-mind! She's crazy and everything she says is wolf dung. If she said anything about your size not being a factor in the final task, she was just saying that to make you feel better," she sneered, "Not much good that'll do you when you're dead."

Fogpaw sprang to his feet, "Foxpaw, that's enough!" he snarled, and flung himself at her. He pinned her down and clawed at her belly with his unsheathed claws. They were a yowling, screeching knot of fur and claws as they rolled across the cave floor. Despite the fact that Foxpaw was his sister, Fogpaw didn't hold back, biting at her shoulder until she howled with pain. Her howl attracted the attention of the warriors eating across the cave from them. One of the older Hunters, a dark gray tom named Stormcloud, who also happened to be Fogpaw's mentor, was the first to reach them. He pulled Fogpaw off his sister while a young, dark golden tom named Liontail shoved himself between them.

"Fogpaw!" Stormcloud exclaimed, staring at his apprentice with shock, "What were you thinking?!"

"Are you all right, Foxpaw?" Liontail asked. Foxpaw hissed at him and swiped at his nose before stalking off to the medicine cat's den. Liontail flattened his ears and looked at Tinderpaw, "What's the matter with her?" he asked quizzically.

Tinderpaw shrugged, "She's always been like that," she murmured, her head still ducked in sadness. She looked up at him, "Do you think I'll be able to become a Huntress?" she asked, her voice small.

His ears flicked in surprise, and he touched the tip of his long tail to her shoulder. He had been named for his tail, which was oddly tufted like a lion's tail. He had the heart of a lion, too--not the mountain lions, but real lions, with fiery manes and mighty roars. He purred softly, his eyes gentle as he looked at her, "You'll be the very best Huntress. I know you will, Tinderpaw."

Tinderpaw brightened and nodded, "Thanks, Liontail. I needed to hear that."

He purred louder, "I'm glad I could help."

Fogpaw was explaining to his mentor what had happened. Stormcloud's fur flattened, and he looked over at Tinderpaw with sympathy in his dark blue eyes, "I understand why you did it, Fogpaw. Just don't let me catch you fighting in the caves again. Their are better ways to stop Foxpaw from insulting Tinderpaw."

Fogpaw sighed and nodded reluctantly, "Yes, Stormcloud."

Stormcloud nodded, "Good. Now, I'm going to go back to my fresh-kill."

Liontail meowed a farewell and followed him. Tinderpaw seemed asleep on her paws as she dragged herself towards the den, meowing a good night over her shoulder. Fogpaw sighed and collapsed beside Heatherpaw, "I can't believe we're related to that piece of fox dung," he muttered, and Heatherpaw grumbled assent. Foxpaw and her lackey Wolfpaw were the only apprentices who were mean to Tinderpaw--probably the only cats who were ever mean to Tinderpaw. She was so sweet, and gentle, that no one had ever even thought of disliking her, much less actually insulted her. Wolfpaw was one of the older apprentices, and would be made a Huntress soon. Maybe then it would be a little more comfortable in the apprentices' den.

Fogpaw sure hoped so.

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_Did you like it? I'm trying hard, and just so you know, the cats in StoneClan do not have the warrior code! That was only created after the cats reached the forest. The cats of StoneClan are pretty lazy about their elders and the apprentice duties that would seem crucial in the other clans. They mainly focus on the apprentice tasks._

_I love you guys, but hardly anyone has reviewed!!! *sobs* please review for me!!! I want to know how I did!!! and feel free to ask me anything about the cats of StoneClan! _

**_R-E-V-I-E-W-?-?-?_**

_Ha, that was fun!!! _:D

_And I'm also having a hard time deciding who should be Tinderpaw's mate when she becomes a Huntress.... I'm stuck between Fogpaw, Liontail, and Leafpaw.... If you have any suggestions, feel free to message me!!!! _


	4. Chapter Three

_**Note From CrazyCross213:**__ Hello everyone!!!! Here is the long-awaited third chapter of Warriors: Origins (jk, nobody's looking forward to it, so far as I can tell...)!!! The cats are going to be changing rapidly from here on out, so don't get annoyed with me if you don't like how the cats are posted before the chapter starts! Just skip it, and if you're wondering, "Who is so-and-so, and what do they look like?!" then just scroll back up to the top and look their name up. And please don't be too mad if I make a mistake, or you don't like how the story's format looks! It's really not my fault!! I'm still figuring out how things work on here.... (I'm a noob, so sue me!)....(wait, please don't sue me... completely ignore that remark)_

_So without further ado, HERE IT BE!!!_

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Cats of StoneClan (chapter 3)

Leader: **Sharpstar**--a slender gray tom with gray-green eyes and unusually sharp claws (_Apprentice-Badgerpaw_)

Deputy: **Spiketail**--a small, spiky-furred tom with black and white fur and brown eyes

Medicine Cat: **Dreamwhisker**--a long-furred white she-cat with pale gray eyes (_Apprentice-Rosepaw_)

Hunters and Huntresses: **Snowfall**--pure white she-cat with tufts of silver-blue fur in her ears (_Apprentice-Amberpaw_)

**Skyfeather**--cloudy gray tom with long, soft fur and blue eyes

**Brownleaf**--white tom with a brown, leaf-shaped mark on his chest (_Apprentice-Tinderpaw_)

**Darkfur**--black tom (_Apprentice-Foxpaw_)

**Stormcloud**--dark gray tom with dark blue eyes (_Apprentice-Fogpaw_)

**Eagleclaw**--yellow-orange tom with a scar across his back from an eagle's talons

**Dawneyes**--tortoiseshell she-cat with eyes the color of the sunrise

**Hawkwing**--red-brown tom (_Apprentice-Dustpaw_)

**Liontail**--dark gold tom with an odd tuft of fur on the end of his tail

**Longpounce**--gray tabby tom

**Ashface**--white she-cat with a splash of gray over her muzzle and eyes

**Nightshine**--black she-cat with a frosting of silver fur on her back (_Apprentice-Heatherpaw_)

**Whitefrost**--white she-cat with foggy blue eyes

**Bramblethorn**--dark brown tabby tom with sharp claws and fangs

**Mapleflower**--mahogany colored she-cat with gold eyes

**Rabbitleap**--black she-cat with white feet

**Sleetshower**--gray and white she-cat with dark green eyes

**Mousewhisker**--small brown she-cat

**Blackpelt**--black tom with a white tipped tail and white ears

**Spottedcloud**--pretty white she-cat with small splotches of black on her back and chest

**Rockfall**--light gray tom with amber eyes

**Frostfoot**--pure white tom with a bluish tint at his paws

**Wolf-fang**--black she-cat with pale blue eyes and silver paws

**Leafsong**--blue-gray tom with bright green eyes

Apprentices: **Rosepaw**--white she-cat with a splash of bright ginger on her back

**Heatherpaw**--light gray she-cat with one black paw

**Badgerpaw**--black and white tom

**Fogpaw**--white tom with pale gray paws and hazel eyes

**Foxpaw**--orange she-cat with black on her paws and a white tail tip and brown eyes, looks just like a fox

**Dustpaw**--sand colored tom with gold eyes

**Amberpaw**--light orange-red she-cat with gold eyes

**Tinderpaw**-- blood-colored she-cat with white on the bottom half of her muzzle and cheeks, and a white throat, underbelly, paws, and tail tip and bright, sky blue eyes

Queen Mothers: ** Pebblefoot**--mottled gray-brown she-cat (_Kits-Patchkit, Wildkit, Sorrelkit, and Hollowkit_)

**Graydapple**--gray she-cat with lighter gray dapples over her back (_Kits-Wishkit, Birdkit, and Thrushkit_)

Elders: **Mistheart**--pale gray she-cat with still-sharp blue eyes, the oldest cat in StoneClan

**Tornpelt**--a battle-scarred old tom

**Cloudeyes**--white she-cat with opaque blue eyes, blind

**Mudears**--white tom with brown patches on his ears and back

**Pinetail**--bristle-furred brown tom

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Chapter Three

It was less than half a moon after that when Sharpstar held the ceremony for Wolfpaw and her littermates. Wolfpaw's black fur was gleaming darkly, and her silver paws shone like stars. Her brothers Frostpaw and Leafpaw had also groomed their fur until it gleamed, and their eyes glittered with suppressed excitement. They had one more sibling, but Rosepaw was in training to be a medicine cat, so she would not receive her Huntress name like a normal cat. She watched her brothers and sister with pride in her eyes.

Sharpstar stood atop the ShiningStone, waiting for the clan to gather. He started with Frostpaw. Frostpaw looked very similar to Snowfall, his fur white shading to silver blue. He was a strong cat, vicious in a fight. He gazed up at his leader with calm, serious eyes as he began the ceremony, "This cat has completed the tasks given him by StarClan, and has proven himself worthy of the title 'Hunter.' Now, in the sight of StarClan, I give him his Hunter name." He did not look up from Frostpaw as he finished, "From this day on, unless it no longer stands for what he is, this Hunter shall be known as Frostfoot. May you serve your clan bravely."

"Frostfoot! Frostfoot!" the clan called, cheering him on. He stood proudly before stepping back and letting his sister take his place.

Sharpstar focused on Wolfpaw, "This cat has completed the tasks given her by StarClan, and has proven herself worthy of the title 'Huntress.' Now, in the sight of StarClan, I give her her Huntress name. From this day on, unless it no longer stands for what she is, this Huntress shall be known as Wolf-fang. May you serve your clan with honor."

"Wolf-fang! Wolf-fang!!" the clan yowled, though not as loud as for Frostfoot. It was mostly Foxpaw.

Sharpstar turned to the last cat, a blue-gray tom with the brightest green eyes. Sharpstar's eyes were soft as he looked at Leafpaw, "This cat has completed the tasks given him by StarClan, and has proven himself worthy of the title 'Hunter.' Now, in the sight of StarClan, I give him his Hunter name. From this day on, unless it no longer stands for what he is, this Hunter shall be known as Leafsong. May you serve your clan compassionately."

"Leafsong! Leafsong!!" this was the loudest yet, for Leafsong was almost as well-liked as Tinderpaw. He flicked his ears in embarrassment, stepping back to stand with his siblings.

Sharpstar leaped down, signaling the end of the ceremony. All the cats gathered around the newest Hunters and Huntress, congratulating them and giving them friendly nudges. Leafsong beamed at Tinderpaw as she butted her head against his shoulder, purring her congratulations.

"Hey, Tinderpaw!" he mewed, "I don't have to deal with your snoring anymore!!!" this earned him a nip from Tinderpaw, "Yow! Same old Tinderpaw! Cute and fuzzy on the outside, evil and violent on the inside..."

Tinderpaw snorted, "Have fun patrolling out in this blizzard," she mewed, turning and going to find some food for the elders. Leafsong, to her surprise, broke away from the group of cats to pad along beside her. He grinned at her.

"We don't have to go until the other patrol gets back, so I'll help you take fresh-kill to the elders," he told her. She stopped in her tracks, gaping at him. He looked back at her, starting to look embarrassed, "That is where you were going, wasn't it?" he asked, ducking his head.

She purred, "Yes, but I was shocked you wanted to go see the elders! Most of the others don't even remember they're there half the time." She bolted into a run, "Race you to the fresh-kill pile!!!"

"You're on!" he yowled, running after her.

Several sunrises later, Tinderpaw was out hunting alone. She had one eye trained on an eagle that had been circling for a while. Her other eye was focused on a fat snow hare that was sniffing around the roots of a bush. She stayed some distance back, but that would not hinder her. StoneClan cats had powerful back legs, and could leap further than the length of the trees that grew at the base of the mountain. Tinderpaw was just hoping that the eagle would swoop soon. She had been waiting there since dawn, and it was nearing the sun's highest point.

Finally, the eagle tucked in its wings and dove, stretching out its claws to grasp the snow hare. Tinderpaw leaped, landing on the eagle's back. It shrieked, twisting its head to try and spear her with its fearsome beak. Tinderpaw buried her teeth in the back of its head and yanked back, snapping the neck. The bird dropped to the ground, its talons still locked in the dying snow hare. Tinderpaw released her prey to kill the hare and save it the pain of bleeding out. She tilted her head back and let out a screech. The two cats who had been waiting since dawn to hear such a cry leaped down from their perches to help her drag her eagle back to the camp.

Liontail was one of the cats. His eyes widened at the size of the eagle, "It's huge! Leafsong, look at this thing!" he meowed to the other cat.

Leafsong nodded, "She got a pretty big snow hare, too." He purred at Tinderpaw, "This is your fifth apprentice task, right?" he asked. When she nodded, he sighed, "Time flies so fast.... You'll only have four more after this."

Liontail's eyes were soft as he looked at her, "You'll be the very best Huntress," he told her. Leafsong cast a quick glance at him before mewing his agreement. Tinderpaw shuffled her paws in embarrassment. She could almost feel her ears burning. She helped them carry the fresh-kill back to camp, and was greeted warmly by everyone. Brownleaf padded over from where he had been sharing tongues with Ashface. He greeted his apprentice with a lick between her ears.

"A wonderful catch!" he praised her, his deep purr rumbling in his chest. As the three returning cats dragged the catch to the fresh-kill pile, Mapleflower bounded over from the Hunters' and Huntresses' den, Skyfeather just behind her. Mapleflower couldn't talk for all her purring as she pushed her muzzle into Tinderpaw's fur. Skyfeather blinked warmly down at his smallest daughter.

"Well done, Tinderpaw," he purred, licking her cheek. Tinderpaw felt like she was floating on a cloud, at least until she looked over her father's shoulder and saw Dustpaw and Amberpaw glaring at her, jealousy sparking in their eyes. Tinderpaw ducked her head, all her joy dissipating. She wished, not for the first time, that she and her siblings could be as close as Fogpaw and Heatherpaw.

Mapleflower finally spoke, "The elders have been waiting for you to come back. Why don't you go tell them about your catch?"

When Tinderpaw hesitated, Skyfeather gave her a nudge with his head, "Go on, dear one. Don't make Mistheart come and get you herself," his blue eyes sparkled with mirth, "You know as well as I do that a pack of wolves couldn't keep her from you."

Tinderpaw's whiskers twitched with amusement, "I'll go see her now," she mewed before scampering off in the direction of the elders' den. She tried to ignore the fact that she could still feel her siblings' glares boring into her fur.

Several more sunrises later, Ashface moved into the nursery. Her belly was getting too round for her to keep up on patrols. Brownleaf visited her constantly, but still managed to keep up on training with Tinderpaw. She had completed another task, and now it was time for Brownleaf to take her down into the Flatlands. Snowfall, Hawkwing, Amberpaw, and Dustpaw would be joining them. This was training for their next apprentice task: helping Dreamwhisker and Rosepaw gather herbs in the Flatlands. They would be escorting the Medicine Cat and Medicine Cat apprentice, guarding them from all the strange dangers of the Flatlands--without their mentors to help. There were only two tasks after that, one of which was going on a wolf hunt, and the other the final task. Tinderpaw was looking forward to both, as were her siblings.

They all had some strengthening herbs before setting out. The entire clan, save the sun's rising patrol, turned out to see them off. Tinderpaw had a bounce in her step as she followed behind Brownleaf. Soon the caves were long behind them. They passed trees and bushes that grew larger and more lush the further down they went. Tinderpaw's eyes were wide as she took in everything around her. Her claws stretched at the thought of climbing the trees. Her second apprentice task had been to climb a tree to the very tip and come back down all on her own. It had been so much fun, and she had even caught a squirrel. She hadn't ever seen a squirrel before that, but it had been a little tricky to climb back down with the small rodent clamped in her jaws, it's bushy tail tickling her nose.

She was brought from her thoughts as the ground evened out, becoming less rocky and more grassy. She relished the feel of the soft grass on her paws, soothing her calloused pads. The stone ground turned to gravel, and then to dirt. She felt odd, as if she were still on the steep mountain. It made it hard to walk; her balance felt off. Dustpaw and Amberpaw obviously felt the same. Amberpaw even fell over, squeaking when she hit the ground. Brownleaf picked her up and set her on her paws, his whiskers quivering with suppressed amusement. Not long after that, the trees started thickening. Soon, they couldn't see anything around them for all the trees. They traveled like that until the sun was low in the sky. Just when Tinderpaw was beginning to think that the entire world, besides their mountain, was covered in trees, the trees started to thin. They came to the edge of what Brownleaf had called "the forest." Beyond the forest was grassy land as far as the eyes could see. To their right, a river flowed down from the mountain and thinned as it cut through the Flatlands, becoming nothing more than a stream. If Tinderpaw squinted, she could make out a strange, odd-shaped brown rock in the distance beyond the stream. Brownleaf interrupted her thoughts, sweeping his tail to indicate the land around them.

"Welcome to the Flatlands, apprentices," he meowed, watching their awe with amusement, "In the next three days, you will learn how to survive here, what creatures inhabit these lands, and how to hunt in these strange surroundings. When we return, you will be ready to take on your seventh task."

Dustpaw's tail lashed in excitement, "What are we going to do first?" he asked.

Snowfall purred, "Sleep," she answered. She purred louder as Amberpaw's and Dustpaw's tails drooped, "We start training tomorrow."

Hawkwing beckoned for them to follow, "Tonight, we rest and get prepared for the trials awaiting us tomorrow." He led them back into the trees, "Here in the Flatlands, there are no caves, so we sleep in between the roots of the largest trees. Sleep near us at first, since you're not used to it yet, but tomorrow you can sleep on your own."

As they settled into the soft moss amongst the trees, Tinderpaw commented, "It's a lot hotter down here than in the mountains."

Brownleaf nodded, "Soon you will notice that your fur starts to shed as if it were Melting Season. When we return to the mountain, it will take a few days for your fur to thicken again. You'll have to deal with it, for there's no herb to thicken fur faster," he purred at the horrified looks Amberpaw and Dustpaw were exchanging. Their expressions seemed to say, _We'll have to freeze our whiskers off for __**days?!**_

Snowfall opened one blue eye, "Don't worry, little ones. You'll get used to it."

Hawkwing glanced over at the smallest apprentice, "Tinderpaw seems to be taking it well," he commented warmly. Sure enough, Tinderpaw had curled up next to Brownleaf and had fallen asleep immediately. The older cats purred with amusement, and only Brownleaf noticed the hostile looks that Dustpaw and Amberpaw were sending their littlest sister. His ears flicked back worriedly. He worried for his apprentice. He knew that Foxpaw disliked Tinderpaw as well. That made three of her denmates who hated her. He hoped she had enough friends to protect her should those jealous apprentices decide to get revenge on the sweet little she-cat. Those were his thoughts as he curled up with everyone else and joined Tinderpaw in sleep.

The next morning, Brownleaf was the first one awake. He sat watch until the sun rose higher in the sky. Soon, the other cats started to stir. Surprisingly--or not, depending on how well you knew her--Tinderpaw was the first to wake, even before Snowfall and Hawkwing. She stretched, and Brownleaf marveled that such a small cat could have such well-defined muscles rippling under her pelt. Tinderpaw padded over to him, her jaws stretched wide in a yawn.

"What are we going to do first, Brownleaf?" she asked, her ears pricked. She studied the new world around her, her big blue eyes soaking in everything.

Brownleaf blinked warmly at her, "Well, we're going to go off on our own, as I suspect the others will. It's up to the mentor to teach their own apprentice, so I believe we will first practice hunting on this unfamiliar territory. Then, if we have time, we can go see how the strange creatures live down here."

Tinderpaw nodded, "I'm ready when you are," she mewed determinedly. Brownleaf nodded, proud of his apprentice.

"I'll just wait for Snowfall and Hawkwing to wake up so I can tell them that we're going," he was interrupted by a sleepy mew.

"No need," Snowfall said, pausing to yawn. She blinked at him with her beautiful blue eyes, "I'll tell Hawkwing. You can go on."

Brownleaf meowed his thanks before he and his apprentice turned as one and leaped into the underbrush. They pounded along, weaving through the trees. Tinderpaw found that her balance had adjusted on its own, and she had no trouble keeping up with her mentor. Despite the fact that she was the smallest of the apprentices, Tinderpaw had always been the fastest. Mistheart had told her that Bright-thunder had been the swiftest cat in clan history. Tinderpaw had inherited it from her ancestor. She was grateful for it now, as she leaped across this ridiculously flat ground.

Brownleaf signaled with his tail for her to stop. They skidded in the leaves that littered the ground as they halted. Brownleaf lifted his muzzle to scent the air. He nodded, seemingly pleased with something, "Just as I thought. Tinderpaw, what do you smell?" he asked.

Tinderpaw obediently lifted her muzzle to scent the breeze, much softer than the wind on the mountain, "I smell...something kind of like a wolf? It's a lot darker.... Wait! I think I've smelled it before!" she looked at Brownleaf, "Is it a fox?"

Brownleaf nodded, pleased with her, "Where is it coming from?" he asked, sitting and curling his tail around his paws.

She sniffed again, "From those tangled roots over there. Is that its den? It's awfully small..."

Brownleaf twitched his ears, "I want you to catch the fox. It's the largest thing around here, and most likely the only thing that can fill our bellies. If you catch it, it will prove that you can hunt here."

Tinderpaw narrowed her eyes at the entrance to the den. Without replying, she stalked towards the fox's den, all her senses straining towards the black hole. Before she reached it, a orange and white muzzle popped out, sniffing the air. The fox emerged, and Tinderpaw had to stifle her laughter. _It looked just like Foxpaw!!!_

The fox noticed her in the same instant, bristling. It barked, its language very similar to a wolf's, "Get away! This my turf!!" She could tell now that it was a male fox, scarred with many battles. It was smaller than her.

"Tough luck, fox!" she hissed, "I'm hungry," her claws dug into the ground. She bared her teeth in a fierce grin, her tail lashing.

The fox backed up a step, then started to slide to the side. He was trying to come at her from the side with her bad eye, "You one big cat," he growled, "How you get so big?" he seemed genuinely puzzled by her supposedly "large" size.

"Big?" she scoffed, "I'm the smallest in our clan."

"Don't talk to him, Tinderpaw," Brownleaf scolded gently, "Just kill him quickly."

Tinderpaw nodded, and leaped. She landed squarely on the fox's back. The impact snapped his spine, killing him instantly. She turned to Brownleaf, "That was easier than I thought it would be," she mewed.

He flicked his ears in amusement, "You are a very skilled huntress."

She licked her chest fur to hide her joy at his praise. Besides, there was something that the fox had said that still confused her, "What did he mean by what he said? You know, about how I was a 'big' cat?"

Brownleaf shrugged, picking up the kitten-sized fox in his jaws, "I don't know," he mumbled, "But foxes are worse than wolves when it comes to trickery. Reminds me of a certain apprentice we all know..." he trailed off, his whiskers twitching. "Let's go ahead and take this back to the others."

They left the Flatlands seven days later, instead of the original three. On the third day Tinderpaw had somehow tripped while she and her siblings were climbing a huge tree. The normally sure-footed apprentice had fallen from the top of the tree, landing with a sickening thud on the ground. The older cats had immediately rushed over to find Tinderpaw unconscious and her front paw twisted at an awkward angle. Snowfall told the others that it was most likely broken. When Tinderpaw had woken up, she was in terrible pain, and couldn't move the twisted paw without howling in agony. They had to wait several days before she could even be moved. When they could finally leave, Brownleaf had to carry her back up the mountain. It was slow going, and Amberpaw and Dustpaw complained the entire way. Brownleaf, normally so gentle, glared at the two apprentices, fury in his eyes. He had an idea who had caused his nimble apprentice to fall.

They reached StoneClan's caves as the sun was setting. Nobody greeted them when they came in, and they soon found out why. They were having a naming ceremony for Heatherpaw, Badgerpaw, Fogpaw, and Foxpaw. The mountain lions they had hunted lay in the center of the main cave. They arrived just in time to hear Sharpstar give Foxpaw her Huntress name. Apparently they had missed the others.

"...until it no longer stands for what she is, this Huntress shall be known as Foxheart. Serve the clan with...um....honesty?" Sharpstar cleared his throat as Wolf-fang yowled out Foxheart's new name. There was a weak cheering from a few of the cats. Her siblings did not participate. Fogpaw and Heatherpaw rushed over when they saw Brownleaf carrying Tinderpaw.

"Brownleaf, what happened?!" Fogpaw asked worriedly.

Brownleaf didn't set down his burden, but flicked his tail for Snowfall to explain. She did so as Brownleaf continued on to the Medicine Cat's den. Dreamwhisker looked up from where she was sorting her herbs. She gasped when she saw Tinderpaw's swollen and twisted paw.

"Rosepaw!!!" she yowled, "Get out here!" She led Brownleaf to a nest where he could lay Tinderpaw, "What happened?" she asked in a hushed voice. Before she could answer, a loud mewl of horror came from behind her. They turned to see Rosepaw staring with horrified eyes at Tinderpaw.

"Tinderpaw!! Oh no!" she rushed forward, but froze when she was by Tinderpaw's side. She stared at Tinderpaw's twisted forepaw with suddenly blank eyes. Brownleaf looked to Dreamwhisker for an explanation. Dreamwhisker's eyes were wide with worry as she answered Brownleaf.

"She's receiving a prophecy from StarClan," she mewed quietly.

Just then, Rosepaw began to mutter, "_The claws are red, the moon is high, old ones die, older ones return from the dead. The spark falls, igniting the trees with light. Why does she cry? The mountains are angry..._" she continued muttering for a few moments, then broke off with a cry. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she collapsed. Dreamwhisker nudged her with her nose, and then sighed with relief.

"She's all right," she mewed. "I wonder what all that was about?"

Rosepaw whispered softly, "_They come._"

Dreamwhisker frowned, "What?" she jerked with surprise as there was the sound of someone entering the den. She relaxed when she saw that it was just Leafsong. He rushed over to Tinderpaw, his fur fluffed up with worry.

"Is she all right?" he demanded, but before anyone could answer, a roar shook the cave. Cats cried out in terror. There was a scream of agony, and a broken chorus of snarls.

Rosepaw screeched, "_THEY'RE HERE!!!!"_

Brownleaf and Leafsong turned as one to confront the creature that was stalking into the Medicine Cat's den. It was a mountain lion, and it sounded like there were a lot more out in the main cave. Above the screeching and the snarling, a mournful voice cried out its sorrow. Tinderpaw struggled to her paws as she recognized the voice.

It was Mistheart.

--------------

_**CrazyCross213:**__ Were you expecting that?! What do you think happened? (Do I even know???) Sorry to leave you with a cliff-hanger, but I'm typing furiously on the fourth chapter! Did you get that bit about, "...__**old ones die, older ones return from the dead**__..." ??? If you didn't, don't feel bad!! You'll understand in the next chapter! (I think!)_

_Until then, Au revoir!!! __**CRAZYCROSS OUT!!!**_


	5. Chapter Four

_**Note From Le Author:**__ Bonjour, Mon amis!! Welcome to yet another chapter of Warriors: Origins!!! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter, right up to my wonderful little cliffhanger!!! This chapter ends normally, but it's a sad one.... but I don't want to give anything away. _

_**Warning:**__ Some blood and gore, and lots of sad moments. Sad moments are sad... _

_**Disclaimer: **__So far, these are all my characters, made up by me (of course)! As soon as we get to the Warriors from the books, though, they don't belong to me.... _

_HERE ARE YET MORE CATS!!! ENJOY!!!! O_

_----------------_

Cats of StoneClan (chapter 4)

Leader: **Sharpstar**--a slender gray tom with gray-green eyes and unusually sharp claws

Deputy: **Spiketail**--a small, spiky-furred tom with black and white fur and brown eyes

Medicine Cat: **Dreamwhisker**--a long-furred white she-cat with pale gray eyes (_Apprentice-Rosewhisper_)

Hunters and Huntresses: **Snowfall**--pure white she-cat with tufts of silver-blue fur in her ears (_Apprentice- Amberpaw_)

**Skyfeather**--cloudy gray tom with long, soft fur and blue eyes

**Brownleaf**--white tom with a brown, leaf-shaped mark on his chest (_Apprentice- Tinderpaw_)

**Darkfur**--black tom

**Stormcloud**--dark gray tom with dark blue eyes

**Eagleclaw**--yellow-orange tom with a scar across his back from an eagle's talons

**Dawneyes**--tortoiseshell she-cat with eyes the color of the sunrise (_Apprentice-- Sorrelpaw)_

**Hawkwing**--red-brown tom (_Apprentice-Dustpaw_)

**Liontail**--dark gold tom with an odd tuft of fur on the end of his tail

**Nightshine**--black she-cat with a frosting of silver fur on her back

**Whitefrost**--white she-cat with foggy blue eyes

**Bramblethorn**--dark brown tabby tom with sharp claws and fangs

**Mapleflower**--mahogany colored she-cat with gold eyes (_Apprentice--Wildpaw)_

**Rabbitleap**--black she-cat with white feet

**Sleetshower**--gray and white she-cat with dark green eyes

**Pebblefoot**--mottled gray-brown she-cat

**Blackpelt**--black tom with a white tipped tail and white ears

**Spottedcloud**--pretty white she-cat with small splotches of black on her back and chest

**Rockfall**--light gray tom with amber eyes (_Apprentice--Patchpaw)_

**Frostfoot**--pure white tom with a bluish tint at his paws

**Wolf-fang**--black she-cat with pale blue eyes and silver paws

**Leafsong**--blue-gray tom with bright green eyes (_Apprentice--Hollowpaw)_ **Heatherstorm**--light gray she-cat with one black paw

**Badgerclaw**--black and white tom

**Fogwalker**--white tom with pale gray paws and hazel eyes

**Foxheart**--orange she-cat with black on her paws and a white tail tip and brown eyes, looks just like a fox

Apprentices: **Rosewhisper**--white she-cat with a splash of bright ginger on her back

**Dustpaw**--sand colored tom with gold eyes

**Amberpaw**--light orange-red she-cat with gold eyes

**Tinderpaw**-- blood-colored she-cat with white on the bottom half of her muzzle and cheeks, and a white throat, underbelly, paws, and tail tip and bright, sky blue eyes

**Patchpaw**--white tom with gray and brown patches

** Wildpaw**--bright gold she-cat with silver eyes and a patch of red on her chest, like a blood stain

** Sorrelpaw**--mottled she-cat

** Hollowpaw**--dark, dark gray tom with dark brown-black eyes

Queen Mothers: **Graydapple**--gray she-cat with lighter gray dapples over her back (_Kits-Wishkit, Birdkit, and Thrushkit_)

**Ashface**--white she-cat with a splash of gray over her muzzle and eyes (_expecting, Father-- Brownleaf)_

**Mousewhisker**--small brown she-cat (_expecting, Father--Bramblethorn)_

Elders: **Mudears**--white tom with brown patches on his ears and back, the oldest cat in StoneClan

**Pinetail**--bristle-furred brown tom

Dead Cats: **Mistheart**--pale gray she-cat with sharp blue eyes

**Tornpelt**--a battle-scarred old tom

**Cloudeyes**--white she-cat with opaque blue eyes, blind

**Longpounce**--gray tabby tom

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Chapter Four

Tinderpaw staggered past Leafsong and Brownleaf, who stared at her with shock on their faces. She was heading right for the mountain lion. Leafsong lunged for her, trying to keep her from falling, but she was already leaping for the mountain lion. She hit its shoulder hard, knocking it off-balance. She snarled as she viciously ripped into its neck with her claws. Before the cats watching could even blink, she had moved on, her limping gait steady. She left the mountain lion behind, its life blood soaking into the ground and pooling on the cave floor. Leafsong left Brownleaf to guard the Medicine Cats and pelted after Tinderpaw. She was surprisingly fast for not having the use of one of her forepaws. She held it tucked up against her chest, and her hopping gait would have been almost comical if she hadn't been in so much pain.

"Tinderpaw!!! Wait up!!!" he cried, dodging around a writhing knot of mountain lions and StoneClan cats. There seemed to be more mountain lions than Hunters and Huntresses. The StoneClan cats were fighting for their lives, and some had already lost that battle. Leafsong could see several cats lying bloody and motionless on the cold, hard ground. He averted his eyes, his grief trying to escape him in a wail of sorrow. He focused on catching up to Tinderpaw, which he found to not be a problem, seeing as she had stopped to help Eagleclaw.

Eagleclaw was attempting to drag himself away from his attacker. Tinderpaw placed herself between him and the mountain lion. She distracted the mountain lion while Eagleclaw dragged himself into the shadows at the edge of the cave. The mountain lion, enraged at losing its prey, turned on Tinderpaw, who was not fast enough to dodge it. She flew back several rabbit hops, landing heavily on her injured paw. She screamed, rolling to her good paws despite the pain. Leafsong reached her in time to aid in killing the mountain lion. They worked well together, distracting the mountain lion from the other to give them a chance to attack. Tinderpaw brought this one down with a death bite to the back of the neck. Without a word to Leafsong, she continued, and he realized where she was going: the nursery. He kept pace beside her, on guard for another attack from a mountain lion.

As they got closer, he could hear the squeals of terrified kits, and the snarl of a mountain lion in pain. When the nursery came into sight, Leafsong stopped cold. Tornpelt and Cloudeyes lay in a bloody heap to the side of the nursery entrance. Mistheart was under the claws of an injured mountain lion, and the vicious creature was leaning down to give the killing bite. Another mountain lion was backing out of the nursery, a dark gray tom kit in its jaws. Mistheart gave another mournful cry, her eyes locked on Tornpelt's unmoving form. She still struggled weakly even though her wounds still bled. She struggled to get to her clanmates, to save the kit. It looked as if she would die defending her clan, and would be unable to save them.

_"There is still hope."_

The voice reached every cat in the room. All of them paused, even the mountain lions. They looked up, to the ridge near the highest part of the cave. A large, glistening she-cat stood there, stars in her fur. She was larger than any StoneClan cat had ever been. She was twice the size of the mountain lions. All the StoneClan cats held their breath as they looked on this cat. The name that they sighed echoed around the caves, "Star..."

Star, the beginning of all the clan cats, the leader of StarClan. She gazed upon all the cats with eyes that were twin stars. She spoke again, _"As long as a Spark remains, there is still hope. Remember, you are never truly alone."_

There was a flash of blinding light as she disappeared. The StoneClan cats attacked with renewed energy, driving back the mountain lions. A battle cry went up from all the fighting cats as the mountain lions turned tail and ran. An enraged cry rose above the rest. As the cats stopped fighting, they turned to see little Tinderpaw locked in a fight to the death with two mountain lions. She fought wildly, her claws ripping into the mountain lions' flesh again and again. The clan cheered when she found an opening and ripped out the throat of one lion. There was a collective gasp as the second mountain lion closed its jaws on her hind leg.

"Tinderpaw!!!" cried several cats. Even through the pain, Tinderpaw could discern Mapleflower's voice, and Skyfeather's, and maybe even Liontail's. A voice she didn't recognize whispered in her ear, _"Never give up hope. The sun will always rise again, and the wind will always blow on the mountain. Even so, hope will always burn in the hearts of cats, but to start Hope's Fire, there must first be a Spark."_ Tinderpaw opened her eyes to see the faint shape of a cat. The cat dipped her head to Tinderpaw, the greeting of one leader to another, _"You are the Spark that ignites the Fire."_

It seemed to Tinderpaw that the next voice was not one cat, but many, "_**Never give up hope.**__"_

In her mind, she saw a small, dark she cat streaking over the mountain trails. A soft, hissing voice echoed in her mind, _"I am __**Swift**__."_ That cat disappeared. Another cat took her place. This was a huge gray tom, his fur ragged with battle scars. His voice was deep and rumbly, and it reminded Tinderpaw of Brownleaf, _"I am __**Strength**__."_ His voice faded, and another cat appeared. This one was a pale, snow colored tom with a vicious glint in his red eyes. His voice was a terrifying snarl, _"I am __**Fierce**__."_ His voice was replaced by a soft, gentle one. Tinderpaw saw a rose colored she-cat, her tail wrapped around a feverish kit. Her expression was gentle and kind, _"I am __**Heart**__."_ As she faded, Tinderpaw heard all their voices mingling together, _"__**We are with you**__."_

Suddenly, Tinderpaw felt new strength in her paws. She felt as if she could outrun the wind, fight every wolf and mountain lion in the world. Yet she felt compassion for the creatures she fought. What else could these creatures do? StoneClan would do nothing different. What cat wouldn't take revenge on someone who had killed one of their own? No matter the reason, though, she had to defend her clan.

It felt as if years had passed, but in reality, it had been only seconds. She opened her eyes to the dark cave, pain, and the sight of her wounded or dead clanmates. She gave a shriek of fury and twisted in the mountain lion's grasp, sinking her sharp teeth into its throat. She ripped herself free from its jaws, landing on her three good paws next to Mistheart's unmoving form. The mountain lion staggered a step back and collapsed, dead. Tinderpaw stood panting for a moment more before collapsing herself. Leafsong limped to her side. Before Star had appeared, the mountain lion who held the kit had thrown him into the cave wall. His shoulder still hurt, but he knew it was nothing compared to what Tinderpaw must feel. He nosed her trembling shoulder.

"Tinderpaw?" he murmured, nudging her gently. He jumped back when she surged to her feet, staggering to Mistheart's side. Leafsong looked to the nearest cat, a pretty young she-cat named Spottedcloud, "Go get Dreamwhisker," he mewed quietly. The black-spotted white she-cat nodded and sprinted off in the direction of the Medicine Cat's den.

Tinderpaw whimpered softly as she pressed her nose into Mistheart's pale gray fur. The old cat's blue eyes opened and found, first unmoving Tornpelt, and then Tinderpaw's grief-stricken face. Her eyes softened, and she attempted to speak. Tinderpaw had to lean close to her muzzle to hear.

"Don't worry so, little one," Mistheart rasped, "I have lived a long life, and have seen you come into your destiny." She looked over to Tornpelt, "I could not have lived without him, anyway. Now I will get to be with him forever," her eyes, which had never clouded as most elders' did, started to lose focus and darken. She started to close her eyes, a peaceful expression on her face.

Tinderpaw wailed, "No, Mistheart! Don't leave me!!!"

Mistheart's eyes snapped open, the blue bright once more, "Listen! _Though they are small, it is not size of the body that matters, but the size of the Heart! When all seems lost, help will come._" With a final sigh, her eyes closed for the last time, "Remember, little fur ball. I am always with you." Her breath left her, and the mighty spirit that had inhabited the great old cat left to join her mate in StarClan. Mistheart was dead.

Tinderpaw threw her head back and howled, her claws gouging deep furrows in the ground. Leafsong pressed against her, offering her comfort. She turned, burying her muzzle in his thick, blue-gray fur. Tears streamed down her blood-covered cheeks, dripping to the cold floor. Dreamwhisker and the mothers of the kits edged past so that they could get into the nursery. Leafsong led her to the side so that they could carry out Mudears and Pinetail. They had been guarding the kits from inside the nursery and were still alive.

Tinderpaw drew away from Leafsong and stumbled over to Tornpelt and Cloudeyes. She crouched down next to the blind she-cat, who twitched feebly, "Is Mudears all right?" she mewed weakly and coughed, her life's blood spattering the ground.

Tinderpaw nodded, but realized that the dying elder couldn't see her, "Yes. He's injured, but not very badly."

Cloudeyes seemed to deflate. She sighed, "That's good." Her breath gurgled through her throat, clogged with blood, "I just wish I could have seen him, one last time..." her voice faded, and she went still. Tinderpaw closed her still-clouded eyes and looked at Tornpelt. He was already dead.

Rosepaw padded up behind her, "You need to get off your paw," she murmured, nudging the small apprentice towards the Medicine Cat's den. She glanced at Leafsong, "Brother, help me."

Leafsong shouldered his sister gently to the side and grasped Tinderpaw's scruff in his jaws. He carried her to Dreamwhisker's den and set her in the nest she had occupied before the attack. He had never seen so many injured cats. Not one of the cats in StoneClan had escaped injury. Sharpstar had lost a life. Longpounce was dead, as were the three elders. Eagleclaw, Snowfall, and Frostfoot were close to death. They had just finished naming Heatherpaw, Badgerpaw, Fogpaw, and Foxpaw, and the newly named Heatherstorm had a bad wound on her hind leg. Dreamwhisker wasn't sure she would ever be able to use the leg again. Her siblings Badgerclaw and Fogwalker sat around her, cleaning her fur. Foxheart was moaning about a scratch on her muzzle. Darkfur, Foxheart's former mentor, had only a bloody stump where his tail had been. He was unconscious--escaping the pain, unlike Fogwalker's former mentor, a cat named Stormcloud. Stormcloud's eyes had been gouged out by a mountain lion's sharp claws. He was on his side in a nest, moaning softly. Spiketail, even though his shoulder was horribly wounded, was walking around reassuring everyone. Dreamwhisker was working tirelessly, as was Rosepaw, to save these cats' lives. Leafsong curled himself around Tinderpaw, trying to stay out of the way.

"Sleep now, Tinderpaw," he murmured, "It will be a while before Dreamwhisker can get to you. I'll stay with you until then. Sleep...."

With a sigh, Tinderpaw slept.

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In a field of ice, far, far away from StoneClan's mountain, an old cat raised her silvered muzzle. She appeared to be merely staring at the starry sky, but she nodded as if she listened to something. She prodded the bright red she-cat sleeping next to her. The red cat, also gray of muzzle, lifted her head, "Wha?" she mumbled, blinking bright purple eyes at the first cat, "What is it now, 'Thunder?"

The first cat stood, shaking out her short, thick fur. Her pelt was the color of the leaves in the Season of the Falling Leaves, with white along her muzzle, cheeks, down her throat, and on her underbelly. She had a patch of black on her throat, and black ears. The toes on her front paws were black, as were most of her back legs. She had a black tip on her tail, and darker red along her neck and haunches. She looked exactly like Tinderpaw, except for her black markings, the gray on her muzzle, and...well, her odd eyes. The left eye was the same color as Tinderpaw's, but the right eye--the one that was covered with a burn on Tinderpaw--was a brighter red than the second cat's fur. The old cat that looked like Tinderpaw was scarred all over, showing how harsh her life had been. The purple-eyed she-cat had scars, but not quite as many. She also had black tipped ears and a black tipped tail. The gray on her muzzle was not as thick as the first cat's.

The older cat grinned, showing white teeth not bothered by age, "The stars call us home, Rosethorn, and we must answer."

Rosethorn, one of the great cats of old, grinned back at Bright-thunder, her sister, "That we must, 'Thunder. It would appear that the clans need us again." She too got to her paws, her muscles rippling under her long, thick coat.

Bright-thunder shook the snow from her powerful shoulders, "Yes, Sister, it would appear so."

-----------------

It was several days before anyone could do anything besides rest and try to get better. Spiketail briefly took over leadership duties while Sharpstar recovered form his injuries. Cats who were only lightly injured had to hunt for the entire clan. Leafsong was one of those cats, and he did what he had to for his clan, but he left a piece of himself behind every time he left Tinderpaw's side. Thankfully, Tinderpaw's paw was healing marvelously, and she hadn't suffered much more than scratches in the battle. Exactly four days after the attack, he came back to the Medicine Cat's den to find her sitting up and helping Rosepaw distribute herbs to the cats who still had to stay in the Medicine Cat's den. His heart warmed to see her fluffy coat sticking out in every which direction and her good eye wide and curious. He snuck up behind her and stuck his head over her shoulder.

"What mischief are you up to, fur ball?" he asked teasingly. He purred with amusement when she jumped.

"Leafsong!!" she mewed cheerfully, "I didn't hear you!!! You're so good at stalking!!!" She looked back down at the herbs, "I'm helping Rosepaw with the herbs, but there aren't hardly enough for the rest of the moon." She sighed, her tall ears drooping adorably.

Leafsong licked her between her ears, "You'll be better soon, and then you can go with Dreamwhisker and Rosepaw to collect herbs in the Flatlands."

Tinderpaw nodded, grinning. Her ears pricked suddenly, as if she had just remembered something. She scooted around until she could face him, "Me and Dustpaw and Amberpaw are the only apprentices now, and we're about to become Hunters and Huntresses! Sharpstar's been in to consult with Dreamwhisker about who would be good mentors for Pebblefoot's kits!!" she beamed, "Isn't that great? I'll have new denmates!"

Rosepaw purred, "You are conveniently forgetting me," she mewed, "The oldest apprentice just so happens to me_._"

Tinderpaw squeaked and ducked her head, "Sorry, Rosepaw."

A voice came from behind them, "She won't be Rosepaw for much longer." They turned to see Dreamwhisker padding into the main clearing from her cave den. Dreamwhisker purred wearily at her apprentice, "It's time you got your full Medicine Cat name."

Rosepaw could only stare at her mentor, "You mean it?" she squeaked, sounding her age for the first time since Tinderpaw had known her.

Dreamwhisker nodded, "We leave when the moon shows itself."

Rosepaw gave a little bounce of pleasure, but sobered again when she looked around at the injured cats still in the clearing, "Who will take care of the clan while we're gone?" she mewed quietly.

The older Medicine Cat purred, flicking her tail at Tinderpaw, "Tinderpaw here knows enough to take care of the injured cats for a while. I know you've been teaching her the herbs and what they're used for."

Rosepaw ducked her head, grinning, "She learns fast."

Dreamwhisker nodded, "Be sure to get ready before the sun sinks behind the mountain." She went on to check the cats laying in their nests in the Medicine Cat's clearing. Rosepaw turned to Tinderpaw, excitement shining in her pale green eyes.

"Will you be all right here without us?" she asked, already shuffling towards her nest to get ready.

Before Tinderpaw could answer, Leafsong draped his tail over her shoulders, "I'll help her," he purred, "I'm happy for you, Sister."

Without another pause, she turned and sprinted for her nest.

--------------

Dreamwhisker and her apprentice returned, happy to announce that Rosepaw's new name was Rosewhisper. The newly named Rosewhisper seemed calm and serene--her normal characteristics--on the outside, but on the inside, she was near to bursting with excitement. Tinderpaw was the first to greet her when they returned to the caves. She limped over to her friend and bumped her with her head.

"Rosewhisper! Rosewhisper!" she cried, after Dreamwhisker had announced her new name. Every cat turned as Sharpstar leaped stiffly onto the ShiningStone.

"Let all cats who have caught their first-prey join here beneath the ShiningStone for an apprentice ceremony!" he called, though the cats who could be there were already in the clearing. Tinderpaw limped over to sit with Rosewhisper near the edge of the crowd. Leafsong joined her, sitting close on her other side. Liontail settled in behind her, and Fogwalker beside him. They waited to see what Sharpstar was doing. He had said "apprentice ceremony," so he must be making Pebblefoot's kits into apprentices. Sure enough, Pebblefoot herded her kits into the clear area at the base of the ShiningStone.

Tinderpaw studied the four kits. Two she-cats and two toms. She recognized one of the toms, a dark, dark gray tom with brown eyes so dark they were almost black. His name was Hollowkit, and he had been the one the mountain lion had tried to eat. He seemed to be doing fine, despite his recent scare. She turned her attention to the other kits. One was definitely attention grabbing. Her fur was bright, shimmering gold, all except for a patch of blood red fur on her chest. Her eyes were unusual too--they were bright silver. Her name was Wildkit. Tinderpaw thought it suited her.

The other she-cat had an average, mottled coat like her mother. Her name was Sorrelkit. The last kit was a tom named Patchkit, and accurately so. He was white with gray and brown patches along his back. Tinderpaw looked from the kits to their father, Eagleclaw, not seeing any similarities. Well, she didn't look like her father either, besides her eyes. She gave a mental shrug and returned her attention to the starting ceremony. Sharpstar looked down on the kits and spoke the familiar words.

"Today is a joyous day," he meowed, "These four kits have been taught by their mother to hunt, and how to behave like a cat worthy to be called an apprentice of StoneClan. They stand here now, ready to take on the duties that come with that title." With a grunt, he jumped to the cave floor to stand before the kits, "We have suffered great tragedy, but out of the ashes of a fire comes new life. These kits signify the strength of our clan." He turned first to Patchkit, "From today on, until he completes the tasks given to him by his mentor and the clan, this cat shall be known as Patchpaw." He looked into the crowd and beckoned to the young Hunter Rockfall. Rockfall looked surprised, even though Sharpstar had told him earlier, and nearly bounced to Patchpaw's side. This would be his first apprentice.

Sharpstar continued, "In the sight of StarClan, I, Sharpstar of StoneClan, have chosen Rockfall to be your mentor. Though he is young, he is fierce, strong, loyal--everything we want this future Hunter to be. He will guide you on the path to becoming a Hunter." A little jerkily, Rockfall leaned down to touch noses with his new apprentice before leading him to the edge of the main cave. Sharpstar turned to Wildkit with an exasperated/affectionate gleam in his eyes. Wildkit had caused more trouble than the other kits because of her adventurous nature and natural curiosity. She trembled with excitement when he spoke, "From today on, until she completes the tasks given to her by her mentor and the clan, this cat shall be known as Wildpaw." He looked at the cats gathered and singled out Mapleflower. She calmly padded to her apprentice's side, her eyes gentle. Sharpstar ignored Wildpaw's enthusiastic squeak and continued, "In the sight of StarClan, I, Sharpstar of StoneClan, have chosen Mapleflower to be your mentor. She is brave, kind, and fair--everything we want this future Huntress to be. She will guide you on the path to becoming a Huntress." As they touched noses and moved off, he continued with Sorrelkit, naming her Sorrelpaw and giving her Dawneyes as her mentor. Dawneyes was a beautiful tortoiseshell she-cat with eyes like the sunrise. She led her apprentice away, making room for the next cat.

Sharpstar peered at Hollowkit, who sat silently waiting for his name and mentor. His dark eyes gazed calmly at Sharpstar, his expression unreadable. Sharpstar spoke the ceremonial words, naming him Hollowpaw. When it came time to name his mentor, Sharpstar looked at Leafsong, "I had considered a different mentor, because this Hunter is so new to his duties, but I believe he is the best mentor for young Hollowpaw," he continued with the sacred words, "In the sight of StarClan, I, Sharpstar of StoneClan, have chosen Leafsong to be your mentor. He is wise, courageous, and strong--everything we want this future Hunter to be. He will guide you on the path to becoming a Hunter."

Leafsong gasped, springing to his paws next to Tinderpaw. He didn't move, just looking from Sharpstar to Hollowpaw and back again. He was the one who had rescued Hollowpaw from the jaws of the mountain lion, though Tinderpaw was the one who had killed the foul beast. She gave Leafsong a nudge to get him moving. He looked at her, his eyes excited but confused. She nodded towards Hollowpaw, who had finally showed some interest in the ceremony. Leafsong nodded, and went to touch noses with his apprentice. He led him, not towards the cave entrance, but to Tinderpaw. Tinderpaw blinked warmly at Hollowpaw.

"I'm glad to have a new denmate!" she purred, but looked at Leafsong with confusion, "What--?"

He ducked his head, "Will you come with us to look at the borders?" he asked quickly, catching her off-guard. When she just gaped at him, he licked his chest to hide his embarrassment, "I know you can't do any training, but it would be a great help... You see, I'm not.... I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do...." he shuffled his paws.

Tinderpaw purred, "Of course I'll come with you!" she mewed, giving his shoulder an affectionate nudge before turning to Hollowpaw, "That is, if you don't mind me tagging along, Hollowpaw."

Hollowpaw pricked his ears, "I think... I think that would be fun, Tinderpaw," he murmured.

Leafsong nodded and turned to the entrance, "Then let's go! We have a lot of ground to cover."

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_**CrazyCross213:**__ IS SO SAAAAAD!!!!!.... I really didn't want to kill any characters off so soon, but the clan was getting a little crowded.... (they have kits fast). Be prepared for the cats to change __**again**__ next chapter.... I think either the next chapter or the one after that will be the one in which Tinderpaw meets the clan cats (from the books). I've been putting it off, but I have to face my fears!!! *looks determined*_

_**REVIEW??? REVIEW???**_

_**R-E-V-I-E-W-?-?-?**_


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